Sprint Direct Connect

[SCPD]

Is Sprint Direct Connect considered a digital transmission?

 

[W8RMH]

Yes

 

[poltergeisty]

Doesn't it use VSELP and FHSS?

 

[n1das]

IIRC, Sprint DirectConnect works through the Sprint network using CDMA. Note that Sprint's DirectConnect is not to be confused with the 900MHz FHSS off-network Direct Talk capability that some NEXTEL phones had a few years ago.

I have 2 Sprint phones with DirectConnect. The DC function works slightly better than NEXTEL's DirectConnect did back in the day. Sprint's coverage is better too but relies heavily on Verizon for roaming and the DC function works there too. The phones sometimes get confused when going from a Sprint network to roaming on a Verizon network and causes the DC function to stop working even when both phones have service. Other times it works seamlessly. Power cycling the phone usually fixes it. Sprint's DC appears to have a few quirks but it seems to work a little better than NEXTEL's DC ever did.

Good luck.

 

[N9NRA]

IIRC, Sprint DirectConnect works through the Sprint network using CDMA. Note that Sprint's DirectConnect is not to be confused with the 900MHz FHSS off-network Direct Talk capability that some NEXTEL phones had a few years ago.

I have 2 Sprint phones with DirectConnect. The DC function works slightly better than NEXTEL's DirectConnect did back in the day. Sprint's coverage is better too but relies heavily on Verizon for roaming and the DC function works there too. The phones sometimes get confused when going from a Sprint network to roaming on a Verizon network and causes the DC function to stop working even when both phones have service. Other times it works seamlessly. Power cycling the phone usually fixes it. Sprint's DC appears to have a few quirks but it seems to work a little better than NEXTEL's DC ever did.

Good luck.

I also have a Sprint Direct Connect handset, and i did some playing around with it when i was up north (NW WI, a Verizon roamming area), and i had no problems with it figuring out what towers it was `sposed to be on, if it did as you said i just power cycled my unit and all was well again . I had the Nextel units too, and i also find that Sprint`s coverage is better (i can use my handset up north, which i couldn`t with my Nextel phone unfortunately), and honestly i like the audio better from the Sprint DC too, Nextel was good for a noisy environment, but get it in a quiet one and it could get painfully loud, usually turning down the volume fixed THAT issue . N9NRA.

 

[MTS2000des]

It's nothing more than enhanced PTT over cellular.

It's has the appearance, form and function of the legacy Nextel dispatch, but at the end of the day, it's just an app running on a phone like anything else these days, e.g.EchoLink, Skype, Google Voice calling apps, Voxer, etc etc.

Sprint Direct connect is powered by stuff like this:
Push to Talk by Kodiak - Powering Enhanced, Next Generation Carrier Cellular Push-to-Talk, PTT Plus, Walkie Talkie, LTE Two-Way Radio Services - Push-to-Talk Powered by Kodiak Networks

Unlike iDEN, PTT over cellular relies entirely on the celco's data pipe. No data? No talkie.

iDEN had the capability of operating in failsoft (Isolated Site Operation) if so provisioned, PTT users within the same cell could still talk on group and private (direct connect) if the backhaul to the serving site went down.

And then iDEN phones could (and can still) work with off-network PTT if so equipped (MotoTalk):

MOTO Talk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia